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Kaufman County library seeks small budget increases for digital access, shelving and newspaper digitization
Summary
The library requested modest increases to noncapital equipment and book budgets, proposed adding the Hoopla digital platform, and said it received a grant to digitize historical newspapers in partnership with a museum and the state library.
Yasmin, a library staff member, presented budget adjustments and projects for the Kaufman County library, asking commissioners for modest increases in noncapital equipment, books and copier lease amounts.
Yasmin said the library proposes a $2,500 increase to noncapital equipment (to add shelving to better align juvenile and young adult collections with adult collections), a 10% increase to the book budget (listed as an increase of $4,245), and a $731 increase on the copier lease. She said the library is testing digital options to complement its Libby app and proposed adding a Hoopla subscription — a consortium platform that provides ebooks and audiobooks across participating libraries.
The library has a grant to digitize local newspapers and is partnering with the Spellman Museum in Forney to contribute material and work with the state library to upload digitized newspapers. Yasmin said most small donations come through the Friends of the Library and that the library planned to reduce the donations (fund 43) line slightly because many gifts transit that friends organization.
Yasmin also asked for some small building‑appearance fixes to the library entrance and landscaping; commissioners agreed to follow up with facilities staff to assess repairs. She noted policy and strategic plan updates will be completed in response to state guidance.
No formal vote or appropriation was recorded during the presentation; commissioners asked clarifying questions and acknowledged the requests would be reviewed in the ongoing budget process.
